Tanya Mosley

So how much power does he have with state elections?

Let's take a short break.

If you're just joining us, my guest is David Graham from The Atlantic, and we're talking about his reporting on election systems and political power ahead of the 2026 midterms and what those efforts reveal about the current state of American democracy.

We'll be right back after a short break.

I'm Tanya Mosley, and this is Fresh Air.

I'm Rachel Martin.

If you're tired of small talk, check out the Wildcard podcast.

I invite influential thinkers to open up about the big topics we all think about but rarely talk about.

Tune in this fall to hear Mel Robbins, Malala Yousafzai, and Brene Brown talk about everything from grief and God to ambition and forgiveness.

Watch or listen on the NPR app, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I want to delve into your reports about the deployment of the military.

We've seen the acceleration, as you said, that many experts didn't expect until 2028.

Can you delve a little bit deeper into how that acceleration happened?

You write about this striking irony.

So Trump talks constantly about election security, but he's gutted the agency that actually protects it.

He cut a third of CISA's workforce, the people who help local officials defend against hackers.

The administration has also slashed millions in funding.

And then he appointed this woman, Heather Honey, to oversee election integrity.

Remind us who she is and what this tells us about what she's been given as her directives.

Let's talk about the power of the courts for a moment.